Grain-door-fobcino device



W. H. McGANN. GRAIN DOHFORCING DEVKCE.

APPLICATION FILEDV FEE. 6. 1922- Reissued Mar. 14, 1922.

Bassum WILLIAH II. HUGANN, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-DOQB-FO-BGING DEVICE.

speciacauon of misma Letter Patent. Reissued Mal- 14, 1922.

Original No. 1,400,447, dated December 13, 1921, Serial No. 407,052, led August 30, 1920. Application for reinue led February 6, 1922. Serial No. 535,229.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be vit known that lI, WiLLIAM H. Mo- GANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Henne same.

My invention has for its ob]ectr to provide' a simple and eieient Agrain door forcing device; and to such ends, generally stated,

the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig."1 is a fragmentary section of a body of anbrdinary box car and grain door and shows the improved forcing device in side elevation, applied inwerking position;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. l; and '4 Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the forcing device on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the same being removed from working position. u

Thenumeral 4 indicates the floor structure, the numeral 5, one of the side sills, the numeral 6 one of the side door posts, and the numeral 7 the grain door of an ordinary box car.

These grain doors as usually constructed, are made of wood and are usually nailed to the inner sides of thc door posts in a position to span the door opening, When grain, 0r like material, indicated at y is loaded in the car against the so-called grain door, the4 latter can be opened only by forcing the same inward, or by breaking the lumber of the grain door. The customary practice is to break through. or split up the boards of the grain door so that there is a very great loss of lumber in the use of these grain doors, and moreover, the breaking of the grain door is often a quite tedious, ditlicult, or unsatisfactory operation, even when the A proper tool, sui-h as a crowbar, or the like, is

available.

Because of the scarcity of pine lumbre? it is becoming a more commonv practice to make these grain doors of cheap grades of hard lumber, and this increases the ditlicnlty of breaking the -grain doors open by the customary means, and also increases the desirability of saving as much asI possible of the lumber of the grain doors.

The device which I will now describe and which I have termed `a grain door forcing device, accomplishes the object-s above indicated. Preferably this forcing device is constructed and arranged as follows:

he numeral 8 indicates a very strong cast metal clamp of approxin'lately C-shaped formation, but having parallel, vertically spaced jaws 8 and 8* that are of such size and so spacedthat they .will embrace the floor structure and side sill at the door opening 'with thc undersurface ot' the jaw 8 resting upon the iioor structure, as best shownV in Fig. l.

The lower 'jaw 8 is provided with a clamping screw t) working with threaded engagement therethrough, and provided at itsl upper end with a swiveled clamping head l 10 that is adapted to bear directly against the under surface of the sill 5. At its lower end, the screw 9 has a hand piece 1l, by,

means of which it may be rotated, to very securely anchor the clamp 8 against the side sill and floor structure with its upper jaw in the immediate vicinity ot' the lower transversely central portion of the grain door.

The upper end portion of the clamp 8 is provided with laterally spaced upstanding iianges l2, in which is journaled a Short cross shaft 13 provided at its central portion with a spur pinion 14, keyed, or otherwise, rigidly secured thereto, for rotation therewith.

The numeral l5 indicates a thrust plunger which stands in an oblique position in re-y spect to the grain door, is located directly under the pinion 14, is provided with rack teeth with which said pinion meshes, and is mounted for straight lineI sliding movement `in keepers 16 formed on the inclined upper i normally lia is Shown-ag provided wiui @animaba wheels 18`rigidly secured thereto, one on each side of the pinion 14. Spring pressed retaining dogs 19 pivotedto the flanges 12` engage the respective; yratchet wheels 18.

The numeral 20 indicates a long operating lever having-yaforked lowerend pivotally mounted on the shaft 13 with 'itsprongsv immediately inward ofthe ratchet wheels 18. The prongs of this lever are provided with spring-pressed driving dogs-2l that are engageable with the respective ratchetr-` wheels 18.

When the forcing device` isapplied as shown-inFigs. 1 and 2, and the lever 2O is tial discharge of grain without-breaking, so

" fecting an initial discharge of grain, without oscillated,v the plunger 15 will be forced invward against the grain door with a very powerful action, and its head 17, being thus forcedgagainst the lower central portion of thedoorTwill positively force the same inward with an upward lifting action dueto the inclination o'f the plungenA If the grain door stands this pressure required to ,effect the initiative opening movement andthe inimuch the better, lint `if it does not, it will be only'the lower boardof the grain door, or a small part of the grain door that would be l broken, L,and `mulch of the grain door will besaved. At any rate, the grain door need not be hacked and knocked to pieces, and frequently a grain door will yield to the sfteady,`eve`n pressure of the'forcing device, to permit relief o f the grain pressure by eibeing broken at all. From whatv has been said, the great utility of this device, both yas to economy and time and saving of lumber is thought to be obvious.

What I claim is:

`1. A grain door forcing device comprising a clamp having means for rigidly securing the same to-a side sill and` floor structure of .a box car. with its upper `portion exposed in f the door opening, a thrust plunger mounted on the upper portion ofsaid clamp for movement therethrough against a grain door applied in the door opening, and a manually operated power multiplying device applied to said clamp and operative on rsaid plunger i sis4 e about car ,with its upper portion exposed in tol forcel thesameagainst a grain door.

` 2. A grain doorhforcing device comprising a'clamp "having means for rigidly securing the saine to aside sill and floor structure of tli'ejdoor opening, a thrust plunger mounted on the `upperportion of said, clamp for movementagainst a grain door applied in the doory opening, and a manually operated power multiplying device'applied to said clamp and operative on said plunger to force the same against a grain door, the said plunger' beingI mounted fdf' vobl'iii'nefmovement and having a dependinghead at its inner end for direct engagement withthe grain door.

3. Agrain door forcing device comprising an approximately C-shaped clamp having parallel jaws, the upper jaw being adapted `for engagement with the car ioor at the door-opening thereof, andsaid lower jaw having a clamping screw for engagement with the under surface of the car sill, a rack toothed plunger slidably mounted on the upper portion of said clamp and engageable: at its inner end .with a grain door, a shaft journaled to the upper portion of said clamp and having a spur` pinion and a ratchet wheel, said pinion meshin with the rack teeth of said, plunger, a retaining dog on said clamp operative on said ratchet wheel, and a lever. pivotally associated with said shaft and having a driving dog operative on said ratchet wheel.

4;. A grain door forcing device comprisingl an approximately C-shaped clamp having parallel jaws, the upper jawbeing adapted for engagement with the Acarfioor at thedoor opening thereof, and said lower jaw having a clamping screw for engagement with the under surface of the car sill, a rack toothed plunger slidably mounted on the upper portion of said clamp and engageable at its in` ner end with a grain door, a shaft journaled tov the upper portion of said clamp and having a spur pinion anda ratchet wheel, said pinion meshing with the rack teeth of said plunger, a retaining dog on said clamp operative on said ratchet wheel, and a lever pivotally associated with said shaft and having a drivingf dog f. operative on said ratchet Wheel, the said plunger being mounted to A move obliquely to the floor engaging face of the upper jaw of said clamp and having a depending grain door engaginghead.

5. A grain door lforcing device comprising a clamp having means for securing the same to the floor structure and side sill ofa box car, at the door opening thereof, a plunger slidably mounted on the upper portion of ksaid clamp and engageable with a grain door mounted in the door opening, a lever pivotally connected to the upper portion of said clamp, and pawl and ratchet actuated connection between said lever and plunger.

6. grain door forcing'device having in combination a clamp adapted Vto engage a portion of the carv structure? to rigidly hold the device in position, means mounted in said clamp adapted to be moved relatively thereto into engagement with the car door, and manually operated means `for moving said last named means. i

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

WILLIAM H. MQGANN. 

